San Bernardino, CA – Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-San Bernardino) announced that he will hold a Community Grants Workshop on Thursday, August 31st from 9:00am to 12:00pm to connect Inland Empire organizations with federal agencies to learn about federal grant opportunities. The workshop will include breakout sessions with agency representatives, a grant writing seminar, and a panel with federal agency officials that will be moderated by Rep. Aguilar.

In the 114th Congress, Rep. Aguilar announced over $75 million in grant funding for California’s 31st Congressional District.

Please see full event details below. Press interested in attending should rsvp to Sarah Weinstein.

(Washington, D.C. - July 13, 2017) Supporters of D.C.’s medical aid-in-dying law urged lawmakers in six states with such laws to oppose an amendment to the annual federal government funding bill that would block funding to implement the D.C. law. The House Appropriations Committee voted tonight to approve the amendment by Rep. Andy Harris (Md.) in a 28 to 24 vote.

Medical aid-in-dying laws give mentally capable, terminally ill adults with six months or less to live the option to get a doctor’s prescription for medication they can take to end unbearable suffering and die peacefully in their sleep.

California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont have 40 years of collective experience with medical aid-in-dying laws with no evidence of misuse. These six states represent 18 percent of the nation’s population and have 12 U.S. senators and 77 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, including Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.).

“We call upon lawmakers in the six states with authorized medical aid in dying to use their power to ensure this amendment to take away the personal freedom of people to make their own healthcare decisions - without government interference - is stripped from the federal government funding bill,” said Compassion & Choices Chief Program Officer Kim Callinan. “House leaders McCarthy and McMorris, in particular, should know their constituents would frown on this personal liberty violation that would spur opponents of this healthcare option to peacefully end intolerable suffering to pursue a nationwide ban.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed D.C.’s medical aid-in-dying law, “The Death with Dignity Act,” in February, after the D.C. Council passed it in November by an 11-2 vote.

A 2015 Lake Research poll shows two-thirds of D.C. residents (67%) support the law.

A May Gallup poll shows nearly three out of four Americans (73%) support medical aid in dying, including 55 percent of weekly churchgoers and 60 percent of conservatives.

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Redlands, chats with Redlands resident Avis Taylor as they wait for her groceries to be rung up at the checkout stand during the congressman’s “Job for a Day” tour stop at Gerrard’s Market in Redlands, Calif. on Friday, July 7, 2017. Aguilar began the tour in April, which has taken him across the district to work different jobs at businesses through the community to connect with residents. (Photo by Rachel Luna, The Sun/SCNG)

Rep. Pete Aguilar went from one cash register to another, bagging groceries at Gerrards Market in Redlands on Friday, July 7, as part of his “Job for a Day” tour.

Some customers were unaware the Democratic congressman — clad in slacks, a tie, blue apron, and sneakers — was handling their packaged fish, bottled water, and bananas. Others took photos with him. A woman talked politics with him.

“You’re doing great!” one cashier told him.

Aguilar began his job tour in April working as a server at Mitla’s Cafe in San Bernardino. He’ll try a new job on a quarterly basis throughout the year. His aim is to connect with residents and learn more about businesses in his district.

“The goal is to just get out there in the community and to experience some real jobs that folks in the Inland Empire have and do each and every day,” said Aguilar, the former mayor of Redlands. “Talk to folks to hear their concerns about healthcare, about jobs.”

“The only way to do that is by getting out,” he said.

It took a minute or so for Redlands resident Avis Taylor to recognize the congressman. Aguilar wore a badge with just his first name.

“You look a lot like Pete Aguilar,” she told him.

Once she learned who she was dealing with, she voiced her concerns.

“You’ve got to do something about this country,” she said.

Taylor, 86, talked to Aguilar about the need for more Democrats in Congress where Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate.

“We’ve got to push back,” Aguilar told her.

She told him she was concerned about the environment and the status of monument designations. She also wondered what will happen to Medicare.

Customer Diane Bruns, 62, of Twin Peaks didn’t recognize Aguilar. She sensed there was something unique about the man bagging groceries because of the two photographers surrounding him.

Although Aguilar is not her representative, she thought his job tour was a good way to get to know his constituents. She would have liked it had Aguilar introduced himself to her, she said.

A teacher, Bruns said she has taken her students to visit their representative, Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley.

“It’s good getting out to the public,” Bruns said.

Tom Reingrover, owner of Gerrards, watched as Aguilar interacted with customers. Reingrover said he wasn’t concerned about conversations potentially getting heated given the political climate over immigration and healthcare. He said he was just glad to have Aguilar at his store.

“You’ve got to make sure you put the heavy stuff at the bottom,” he said. “That’s rule No. 1”

Republican Sean Flynn, a Scripps College economics professor who has announced he will run against Aguilar in 2018, said the congressman should curtail his jobs tour and focus on his own job.

“I think Pete Aguilar’s efforts to find out more about jobs in our district is commendable, but I would prefer he spend his time in Washington working to create jobs in the Inland Empire. Unlike Pete, I’ve run businesses before and know how important strong government action is on job creation.”